The earliest industries in Toronto Township were the mills situated along the Credit River. Among them were the Barber Brothers' Toronto Woollen Mills in Streetsville and the Racey sawmill in Erindale. Although Toronto Township was mainly agricultural several industries sprang up in the late 1880s, such as the St. Lawrence Starch Company, and in the early 1900s the Cooksville and Port Credit brickyards. In the 1930s the first oil refinery was built in Port Credit by Lloyd's Refineries. By the 1950s Toronto Township was home to a second oil refinery and St. Lawrence Cement Company, both located in Clarkson.